Walk the Line
by Reyta
Summary: Captain Artymis Vexile just wanted her ship back. How did she go from smuggling weapons to being a freelance freedom fighter?
1. Chapter 1

**Walk the Line**

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

_-Albert Einstein_

Journal 8762- Ord Mantell

Cantina food, Artymis decided, tasted a lot like dirt. Rodian whiskey, if you could call it that, was akin to drinking a glass of pickling vinegar. Given a choice, she'd gladly eat tasteless military ration paste over this crap any day. And that would have likely been her meal if her starship hadn't been _**stolen**_ by her former business partner. Arty seethed, mashing the remains of what looked to be a mushroom under her fork. Had she just dropped the cargo and risked the lasers she'd be halfway across the star system.

But _**NO**_, she had to stick around and help out the Republic. And in the fifteen minutes she'd been away from the hanger that asshole Skavak had hijacked her ship; her _**BABY**_. Artymis leaned on her elbows against the bar and rubbed her tired face. After a hell of a lot of running around she'd managed to track down the boss man who had been impatiently waiting for her cargo, only to find out the slimy thief had given him the slip too and already left _**with her ship**_. Now she was grounded on this dry dusty planet in the middle of a skirmish between the Republic and the Separatists.

"_Joy of joys_," Arty though morosely.

Cracking her neck and stretching her arms above her head, she waived down the bartender and transferred creds for her food before standing stiffly and walking out the door towards the hangar. She'd been lucky enough to obtain a shuttle pass to follow Skavak to Coruscant. It still was a heavy hit to her ego to be reduced to public transportation. She had not needed to use a transport shuttle for years. Having her ship taken from her was like a bird getting its wings clipped. Not to mention her chances of making a quick getaway lowered dramatically. Though it wasn't something she needed to worry about too much as her illegal dealings only included petty crime, her ship had definitely gotten her out of more than a couple questionable situations.

Upon entering the hangar, she found Corso pacing outside the shuttle docking bay, waiting for her. Poor man had trusted Skavak as much as she had and was also burned in the incident; though Arty couldn't quite see how the loss of his favorite blaster equaled to the loss of her starship. But in his defense, he'd definitely helped her out and was a decent shot with a blaster rifle. Seeing her approach, Corso smiled and extended his hand, shaking hers.

"Captain," he regarded her, accent drawling out the word. "Glad to see I caught ya before you left. With the way you stormed out earlier I woulda sworn you'd be gone by now." She'd been pretty steamed when they discovered Skavak was gone and had promptly left to get a stiff drink. Artymis realized she hadn't even thought to tell him where she was going and groaned at her bad manners. He certainly hadn't deserved such treatment.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that, Corso," Arty replied, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg. "I needed to get the hell outta there before I did a decent amount of damage. Wouldn't have been pretty." Corso laughed.

"Yeah, I bet. You're pretty scary with that blaster. I'm glad you're putting' Flashy to good use." Corso nodded at the blaster pistol he'd given her. "So, we leavin' now?" Arty blinked.

" 'We'? You coming with?" she asked. Corso nodded.

"Bastard's still got my gun, don't he? And I think I've had more excitement running 'round with you today than I've had in months. It'll do me good to get off this rock and back out there. That, and don't a lady need an escort nowadays? It's awful dangerous out there all by your lonesome," Corso smiled boyishly. Artymis laughed, clapping a hand down on the man's shoulder mirthfully.

"Alright handsome. Welcome aboard my currently missing ship then! Now, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to kick this place like a bad habit. You set to go?" Corso nodded. "Good. Let's get to it then. My baby's pretty fast so Skavak will have a head start. We got some chasing to do."


	2. Chapter 2

**Walk the Line**

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

_-Albert Einstein_

Journal 8765- Coruscant

Arty and Corso arrived in Coruscant to find the city packed with people, many being refugees, after a brief pit stop to grab some supplies from the Republic fleet. The masses of multicultural war survivors was a stark contrast to the Senate building as it loomed tall and majestic in the plaza. Corso gazed up at the structure in awe.

"Man, these high and mighties sure do like their stuff fancy," the gunman drawled, releasing a low whistle. Artymis laughed, bumping his shoulder with hers. In the few days she'd spent with Corso, she'd learned three specific things. One, Corso was probably one of the most chivalrous men she'd ever met. The man was bound and determined to treat her "with the respect she deserved," or so he had said with a boyish smile. The second thing she learned is the man had a deep-set love for guns and excitement. Finally and most important, he was incredibly useful. Upon their arrival, Corso had set up an appointment with a man by the name of Darmas Pollaran; some sort of underworld con man who had his fingers in a lot of pots of information. All in all, he was definitely a decent guy to have around.

"Well, not everyone can be impressed with starships, adventure and guns. Guess that makes me simple," the captain joked as she approached the transport drone and paid for a taxi to the lower markets.

"Well if that makes you simple, Captain, that makes two of us," Corso retorted as he climbed in the passenger side. The pair traversed the lower markets to the cantina, finding Darmas Pollaran waiting in a private room. The card shark was well dressed for a man in the under city, and certainly chose to display his wealth openly if the multitude of female 'escorts' lounging around was any kind of signal. Noting his company's entry, Darmas stood from his luxury sofa, greeting them with open arms.

"Welcome, my friends!" Darmas said warmly before giving Arty a twice over. "Corso, you didn't tell me your new captain was such a catch," the card shark egged the gunman, watching him seethe. Arty caught Corso's reaction out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. "Now, what can I do for a beautiful woman such as yourself, Captain? Come, sit and have a drink."

"Well, for starters, nice try but I'm going to have to turn you down: You're not quite my type. I prefer a man who's a quick draw on a gun, not a deck of cards," Arty said, dropping into a chair across from the gambler and propped her boots up on the glass coffee table. A quick peek assured that Corso had enjoyed her reaction to Darmas' flirting. "But if ya wanna try to make up for it, you can help me find my ship. And the bastard who stole it."

"Yes…Corso informed me about your unfortunate mishap with Skavak. Shame," Darmas shook his head, "Lucky for you, my dear, I may have some leads to get you in the right direction; if you're not too worried about being a bit forceful with the lower district inhabitants. They are two rather unsavory groups roaming about that won't look too kindly on anyone…meddling in their activities."

"When are the places I go ever filled with nice peaceful people?" Arty asked to no one in particular as she patted her blaster on her hip lightly. "I'll be real polite; I'll even introduce 'em to Flashy. They won't even see me coming and won't remember me once I'm gone." She cracked her knuckles before standing and stretching. "That's the way I fly."

"Very well. I'll forward you some information for an informant in the Black Sun territory who can help you track Skavak down, along with some other leads around the city," Darmas picked up his data pad and sent her the info, "A request; be careful down there. We've got a lack of good smugglers in space and I would loathe losing another one, especially one so pretty." Arty laughed as she stood, swatting imaginary dust off her leg and turned to leave.

"Another valiant attempt, Darmas. Don't you worry. Careful is my middle name," Arty called over her shoulder, hearing Corso snort out a chuckle beside her. The smuggler sidled up to her partner, bumping her hip against him, knocking him off balance. "Don't laugh at me, handsome."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Capt'n."

After roughly nine hours of running around beating up gangsters and blasting droids, Arty was getting tired. She found herself sitting on the stairs leading down into the Coruscant Market, watching people come and go while she waited for Darmas to come through with some vital information. Corso stood beside her against the wall, checking and re-checking his blaster. The gentle clicks of his rifle being dismantled and reassembled eventually lulled the captain into a daze, so much so that she didn't notice the large shadow looming over her until Corso nudged her leg with the tip of his boot. Glancing up, Arty realized she had a visitor.

First thing she noticed was that he was huge. He towered over her, even after Corso had helped haul her to her feet. And the stranger wasn't just tall, he was built like a tank. Between the stoic feeling he emitted and the rather noteworthy robes, Arty had him pinned as a Jedi.

"_What did I do now?" _The captain groaned inwardly before making a weak attempt to straighten up and look presentable.

"Whatcha want, buddy?" Arty asked, voice a bit raspy from shouting over explosions all day. The Jedi placed his hands together, only the gloved fingertips touching, and bowed at the waist. Once he'd straightened he lifted his hands to the obscuring hood and neatly folded it back and off his head, revealing a head of silver hair with a small beaded braid along one side. Calm aluminum eyes observed her as her own eyes ticked over the vertical scar that ran down the right side of his face, extending from his forehead, across his socket, and ending just past the cheekbone.

"_Yup. More muscle than a bantha, calmer than a statue. Definitely a Jedi," _Arty released a small sigh, shifting her weight from one foot to another, waiting for the man to speak. The Jedi nodded at the Captain.

"You look like you've been in a fight. Do you need assistance?" Arty laughed at the painstakingly obvious statement.

"Yeah, we got roughed up a bit. Nothin' we can't handle," Arty replied, clapping a hand down on Corso's shoulder. Corso smiled back at her, his toothy grin bright against the blood, dirt and grime smudged on his face.

"I see. Perhaps you should avoid trouble for a while. Who did this to you?" the Jedi queried, eyebrows drawing slightly.

"A better question would be who didn't? Doesn't matter now. Taught 'em a lesson. Can't have innocent people getting' hurt on my watch," Arty managed a weak smile and a shrug, "Too bad the pay sucks for work like this." The Jedi cracked a small smile.

"Gratitude is a far greater reward," the Jedi spoke softly, lacing his fingers together in front of him. "Know that you have mine for acting honorably when I was not available to do so myself." Arty chuckled at the sagely statement.

"So says the Jedi man that's got funding backing him. Gratitude doesn't pay the bills," the Captain joked, rubbing her fingers together, symbolizing money. "I'd work for the Republic, but y'all can be a bunch of stiffs sometimes." Arty was surprised when the Jedi chuckled.

"That does seem to be the running stereotype. But I assure you, we are not all as you say," the Jedi replied. Before he could continue, Arty's holocommunicator bleeped with an update from Darmas with the location of her ship and instructions on how to get past Skavak's guard. Arty nodded at Corso, who checked his rifle once more before pushing off the wall and rolling his shoulders stiffly.

"That's our call, Mr. Jedi. Nice chattin' with ya," Arty hesitated, not knowing whether to shake hands or bow. In the end, she gave a loose salute before turning on her heel. The calm voice stopped her halfway up the stairs.

"I did not catch your name." Arty smacked her forehead with one palm.

"Oh, I forgot. Captain Artymis Vexile," the captain replied with another quick two finger salute. The Jedi bowed again.

"I am Jedi Knight Bravaden Wardain. You may call me Brave," the Jedi responded, placing a hand against his chest. "And though I was not there to help you before, know that you may call on me if you are ever in trouble again." Arty raised an eyebrow before curling over laughing. Brave looked somewhat perturbed for a moment before the smuggler straightened, wiping a tear away from one eye.

"Sorry, Boss Man. The thought of having a Jedi on a leash just hit me as funny," Arty explained, another chuckle hitting her, "Or riding on your shoulders into battle, like an armed Tauntaun! Man, I crack myself up sometimes." Seeing Brave shake his head at her antics, Arty reigned in a more serious tone. "But really, thanks for the offer, buddy. Ya never know what could happen."

"Capt'n, you comin'?" Corso spoke up from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm comin'. We got a ship to take back." With that, Arty snapped a final quick salute and wink before dashing up the stairs and out of sight. After watching her disappear, Brave replaced his hood and turned towards the market just in time to see his padawan approaching. The red haired apprentice stopped before him, sensing something.

"What happened while I was gone?" the young woman asked, concern etched across her face. Brave placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Be at peace, Kira. I was only reminded that we are still winning the fight against the dark side," he assured her as he began walking towards the Senate building, "Come. We have much to do."


End file.
